Uh, This One Is Clearly Impossible.

[rionaleonhart]

I started replaying Horizon Zero Dawn, because I desperately needed something to distract me from attempting all the way-too-hard postgame content in Celeste.

My Celeste death count is now over 14,000 and I'm nowhere near finishing everything. I feel pretty bad for Theo in all the timelines where I died in front of him, leaving him trapped in crystal and surrounded by cosmic horrors.

At one point I replayed the story, just to see how much better I was at it now. My original playthrough: twelve and a half hours, 3,500 deaths. My second playthrough: four hours, 1,000 deaths. I can't believe I've improved enough to shave 60% off my original time.

The story of Celeste is so good. I'd like to write fanfiction, but the game itself already deals with so many themes I love; there's nothing left for me to add! Characters bonding under intense pressure, characters having complicated relationships with dark reflections of themselves, environments that reshape themselves to reflect the people passing through: it's all there already.


Anyway! Yes! Horizon Zero Dawn!

It's so interesting to replay the opening of Horizon Zero Dawn with context. I understand what's going on now!

When Aloy first starts using the Focus, does it detect that she's a young child and start trying to teach her to read? It displays 'BOW' in big letters when she's handed a bow, and then the text turns green when she says, 'Bow?' That's a cute detail, although, to be honest, Focus, I'd start the kid out with lowercase.

(I'm going to ignore the later scene where the Focus shows 'BOW' to an adult Aloy, because I like this theory and I refuse to accept the fact that it probably doesn't hold up. IT'S JUST CHECKING THAT SHE STILL KNOWS HOW TO READ.)

Everyone's so hot for Aloy and it's hilarious. They're all so into her! Everyone she meets is just hitting on her, all the time.

'Time for Bast to get some sleep!' Bast proclaims, like he thinks it's cool to announce that you're going to bed in the third person. I snorted aloud.

Did Nil kill his 'hunting' partner? This didn't occur to me when I first played, because Nil tells you about his partner when you've just met him and haven't yet realised quite how horny for murder he is. Nil says his partner went ahead without him and 'we'd talked about this kind of behaviour', and he later proclaims himself to be 'just a traveller with a bow, a concern about the state of these lands and a missing partner' in a way that doesn't sound especially innocent. If his partner ruined Nil's fun by killing bandits without him, I can see Nil going, 'Look, we talked about this and now I'm going to kill you instead.'

Apparently, if you clear out the first bandit camp without Nil, he says, 'I'm glad I stayed to watch. Every kill you made, I pricked my fingers on an arrowhead just to feel part of things.'

Meanwhile, if you don't meet Nil until after you've cleared out all the bandit camps, he invites you to meet him elsewhere. If you do, he says, 'I'm so glad you came. In a way, I feel like I already know you. Every pile of corpses was like reading your journal.'

Nil is so weird and it's great. It's good to know what you're passionate about, and he is passionate about murder.

Comments

[bass_clef]

Meanwhile, if you don't meet Nil until after you've cleared out all the bandit camps, he invites you to meet him elsewhere. If you do, he says, 'I'm so glad you came. In a way, I feel like I already know you. Every pile of corpses was like reading your journal.'

I honestly never knew about this because all the times I went into clearing the bandit camps, I usually talked to him first. It's just so much more fun to have a companion with you during certain missions. But that's an interesting detail! It's kinda neat that the devs prepared different sets of dialogue depending on your actions.

And honestly, Nil is such an interesting character I could never bring myself to take up his offer for a duel. Plus, if you don't, he joins you at the final battle! There are so many little things you don't notice after a first playthrough. Horizon Zero Dawn is one of those games I could play over and over again and never be sick of.

Nil is so weird and it's great. It's good to know what you're passionate about, and he is passionate about murder.

I think that's what makes him one of my favorite characters, haha! That, and his mysterious backstory. Now that you mentioned that detail about his partner, I'm especially curious about what exactly happened there.

[rionaleonhart]

And honestly, Nil is such an interesting character I could never bring myself to take up his offer for a duel.

I didn't kill him either, and he was so disappointed. Sorry, Nil!

(I also looked up what he says if you agree to the duel, and he asks if you're sure and makes you confirm it again. 'You are so conscientious. I wouldn't want to pressure you into something that wasn't genuine.' He wants you to duel him to the death, but he also wants you to want to duel him to the death.)

It really is a wonderful game. The environments are so, so gorgeous.

[samuraiter]

Never got into HZD – one of those games that exists in stack upon stack at the local Game Stop (for as long as that stays in business), never to be rare.

[rionaleonhart]

It's a genuinely fantastic game, if you have any interest in open-world games! The worldbuilding and narrative are very, very strong.

[wolfy_writing]

When Aloy first starts using the Focus, does it detect that she's a young child and start trying to teach her to read? It displays 'BOW' in big letters when she's handed a bow, and then the text turns green when she says, 'Bow?' That's a cute detail, although, to be honest, Focus, I'd start the kid out with lowercase.

That is really cute!

Did Nil kill his 'hunting' partner? This didn't occur to me when I first played, because Nil tells you about his partner when you've just met him and haven't yet realised quite how horny for murder he is.

I love that!

If his partner ruined Nil's fun by killing bandits without him, I can see Nil going, 'Look, we talked about this and now I'm going to kill you instead.'

He sounds like an amazing character!

[rionaleonhart]

He's just so into murder! I love how Aloy just ends up sort of uneasily tolerating him. 'This is my... friend?... who's turned on by murder, and we go murdering together, I guess? Maybe I shouldn't be enabling this.' (That is not a direct quote, but it might as well be.)

[rosa_heartlily]

I'm playing a NG+ of HZD, so missed all the childhood stuff. I'm going very, VERY slowly, trying to pick up all the collectibles and stuff. It's good to spend time with Aloy, again :)

[rionaleonhart]

I'm not actively trying to get all the collectibles, but I'm also playing very slowly. It's so easy to get distracted in that game!

[jecca_mehlota]

WAIT.

Wait.

You can run into Nil BEFORE you clear the final bandit camp???

[rionaleonhart]

You can! He'll accompany you on your murder sprees in three of the camps! He's so creepy! I love him.

Here's someone's attempt to collect as much Nil dialogue as possible into one video, if you're curious about the interactions you missed.

[jecca_mehlota]

I feel so cheated. wtf, Nil, I'd've brought you along if you'd been more obvious!

Thank you, I will check that out!

[jecca_mehlota]

"i'd've brought you along if you'd been more obvious" she says, as if she didn't take the least intuitive, most roundabout paths to basically everywhere in the entire game